Black Rose
by Zaphira292
Summary: Eighteen Years ago, Ichigo disappeared and was assumed dead by both the real world and the Spirit world. Now a young woman shows up in Karakura town who reminds others of Ichigo. Who is she and why is she here? Pairings will be revealed later on and there will be a Shounen ai pairing later on but NO YAOI! I will increase the rating later. Please R&R, it keeps me going.
1. Eighteen Years Ago

_**:Black Rose Chapter 1 – Prologue, "Eighteen Years":**_

A tall, well-built young man stands before a crowd of people. Some are crying, some just staring blankly into the far off distance. He walks through the mass of bodies, barely half of them still alive and most of them are dying quicker than they can be healed. At the back of the crowd stands a small group, huddled together like lost sheep. He walks towards them and smiles grimly.

One of the group; a thin but manly-looking boy with blue-like hair and glasses sitting down on his nose; returns the gesture. He holds in his arms a large-breasted woman who seems to be in a state of horrific shock, having just sighted the bloody body of a young child, barely four years old.

It is then that young man spots his sisters standing over their father's body, the older holding the younger. He died defending his son and daughters and now, at last, he can be with his beloved wife.

The blue-haired boy speaks hesitantly, "Ichigo… is this all there is?"

_No,_ he wants to say, _there are more survivors. There has to be._ But he cannot speak a lie.

"…I think so," he looks down as tears come to his eyes.

Now the woman looks up at him, "Ichigo-kun…I… Why? …How?" She doesn't have to say anything else; he can see the painful questions in her eyes. Why did this happen? How did it come to this?

He wipes away his tears with his good arm, the other having been wounded earlier in the fight. There is still fresh blood flowing from the wound, as well as from some other even worse injuries, but he takes no notice.

He says the only thing he can, "I'm sorry," he falls to his knees and he fails to hold back the tidal waves that have been threatening to burst forward, "I'm so sorry. Orihime, Uryuu, I'm _so _sorry…so sorry…"

A small hand rests on his shoulder. He doesn't have to turn his head to know who it is, "Rukia. Please, please don't. Just…don't."

Rukia pulls her hand back quietly and says, "We found Chad." At this, both Uryuu and Orihime looked up quickly, as did his sisters, Yuzu and Karin.

They all open their mouths to say something but she stopped them with a hand, "He's alive. Barely. Captain Unohana herself is treating him now." Ichigo collapsed, exhausted from the worry and sudden relief. He falls forward, unable to hold himself up any longer and feels strong hands lift him back up.

He squints to try and make out the blurry figure in front of him, "R-Ren-ji? Wh-at?"

Somewhere in the back of his mind he registers that his speech is slurring but cannot voice anything else as he starts to lose consciousness, the worried questions and scared screaming of his name all blurring together,

"Ichigo!"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"What's wrong with him?"

"Dammit, Ichigo, stay with me!"

"What's happening?!"

"Rukia, go get help!"

"Ichi-ni, please don't die!"

"Ichigo…"

And then, silence joins the darkness.

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Hold him down! We can't let him move, he re-open his stitches!" The warning does not register in Ichigo's mind but he is in too much pain to pay attention. It does no good anyway as the stitches cannot hold out and he feels a further burning sensation in his abdomen.

"ARRGHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"The sedatives! GET THE SEDATIVES!"

"He's gonna end up killing himself at this rate, ain't he, Captain?"

"Hush. Now bring in some members from some other squads with enough strength to hold him down." This was all Ichigo heard before a needle pierced his arm and the darkness claimed him again.

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

Two figures stood in front of the slowly setting sun. Uryuu held Orihime in his arms, letting her tears stain his partly-burnt Quincy uniform yet again.

She slowly looks into his eyes and asks slowly, "Uryuu?"

He looks at her, "Hmm?"

She looks down quickly, "I couldn't help them." This wasn't a question, this time. It was a statement. Uryuu knows that it hurts her so much that when she needed her powers the most, they failed. She couldn't bring anyone back like she had done to Ichigo and others in the past.

He holds her close and whispers, "It's not your fault."

She smiles, but it is not a happy smile, he can see the pain in it, "I know… But…"

"But you couldn't help them. It's okay. We'll make it okay. We'll rebuild our broken lives. The world has been told that Karakura town was hit by a bomb, we can use that. We'll help to rebuild the town. It might not be perfect straight away, but it'll get better. It will take time but everything _will_ be okay. I promise." She smiled, genuinely this time but clutched him as Ichigo's scream echoed through the destroyed landscape.

"AHHHHHHH!"

Uryuu makes the decision then and there to always be by her side, to catch her tears when they fall, to protect her, even if it means at the cost of his life.

"ARRGHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

As the second blood-curdling scream echoes through the air, he lifts her head up by her chin to face him but doesn't need to say anything. She nods, understanding and clings to him again, her tears never ceasing.

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

The silence covers the expanse of space and all are silent. The crowd has now gathered, they have all mourned for lost loved-ones and now have been moved to a shelter, made by several Shinigami with earth-type Zanpakutō to create a large cave-like hole in the ground.

They have all just learned of their 'saviour' and his condition. All are holding their breath, waiting for news about what had been happening. All they knew of was that he was injured, and by the screams, it was badly. A little ways off to the left were that group of children and teenagers that were involved with him. It was hard to believe, but most had seen enough today that not much else would surprise them by now. The people murmured to one another as the one referred to as 'Captain' Unohana stepped forward and declared that he was alive, for now and that it was up to his fighting spirit whether he survived the night or not.

They took the news quietly and the silence claimed all yet again. Now all they could do was wait, what else could they do? There was nowhere to go; after all, it wasn't just Karakura town that was destroyed. Neighbouring towns had been demolished as well; the survivors were of all these towns, not just Karakura. But there were still so few of them… they all looked up yet again as a man stepped forward and faced them, holding a large and strange device in his hand and then he seemed to activate the device. Then all the people who didn't know about Ichigo, Shinigami and hollows before this incident suddenly forgot all that had happened and 'remembered' when the bomb had struck and the destruction it had caused.

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

Chad stood at the edge of the cave and grimaced. His horrific wounds were gone but the pain hadn't disappeared. Ichigo hadn't been so lucky, apparently his wounds were coated with something that blocked the healing power of any and all so they had been unable to heal him in any normal way. They had been forced to revert to more 'old fashioned' methods, for example, the stitches. Other things were used of course but Chad didn't care for such things, he just wanted to know that his friend would be alright.

Now, Chad looked to the side as Uryuu and Orihime walked toward him. He face twitched into a hidden smile. At least something good had come of all of this. The two hadn't left each other's side. They ignored the silence as all three of them walked outside; silence was now so common between them that it wasn't even uncomfortable anymore.

Orihime was the first to spot Keigo, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Yuzu and Karin as well as Renji and Rukia sitting further over to the left. They seemed like they had been talking, possibly about Ichigo; but they stopped when they saw them.

Uryuu and Orihime sat down next to the others and Chad stood close by.

They all stayed like that for a while until Yuzu suddenly exclaimed, "Ichi-ni!?" Everyone's heads shot up and they stared.

Ichigo had many bandages over his bruised and battered body and blood was seeping through many of them as he held Zangetsu in his hand.

Karin got over her shock first and shouted, "You idiot! You're in no condition to be up-and-about, get back inside! Everyone will be so worried if they find you're gone!" Sure enough, already worried remarks reached their ears. Exclaims of "He's gone!" and "Find him!" and "Quickly, let the Captains' know!" were heard easily from this distance. Ichigo merely watched them slowly and bowed.

Everyone was confused but didn't give them a chance to say anything, simply saying, "I'm sorry," one last time before he vanished into thin air. Or so it looked like. But they knew he would have used his great speed. Everyone panicked, they wouldn't be able to catch him; he was too fast for all of them. Chad and Uryuu immediately sprang into action, running for the cave to alert the other Shinigami but it seemed they already knew as Yoruichi exited the cave and attempted to chase her former-student.

Three days later Ichigo Kurosaki was declared missing by Soul Society and seven years later they declared him dead. When the real world finally got over the tragedy of the 'bomb-strike' and things had started to move on again, Ichigo Kurosaki was one of the names listed among the missing. Seven years later and his body had not been found so he was also declared dead by the authorities.

And now, eighteen years later, the story would continue once again…

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

**I'd just like to clear something up now, as quickly as possible. Ichigo was 18 when he disappeared. In other words, this was approximately 1 year after the Xcution arc. So, 18 years later, at the **_**true**_** beginning of this story (next chapter), he is 36 (*panics* I made him old!). Anyway, please review. I think I am very proud of this story and how I've planned out the future storyline, I would appreciate your feedback. Flames are accepted gladly, they help me to understand both how much of an idiot I am and what I could improve in the story. One other thing: I will be changing the name to 'Kuroi Bara'. Same thing, only in Japanese.**

Ichigo walks in, "Why are your stories so depressing? 'God Give Me Strength' was better than this. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you liked putting your favourite characters through pain and suffering."

**Zaphira glares, "Good thing you know better, then."**

Ichigo gulps, "Um, anyway, she already asked earlier but please review. She won't have a set time-table for when she will update her story but if she gets enough reviews she will make the effort immediately. She's just that kind of person, lazy until encouraged. Thank you."

**Zaphira smiles thinly and turns toward the reader, "Yes, thank you and just so you are aware of any **_**possible**_** (not definite) future pairings, I will list them in a future chapter. Have a nice day."**

**Edit 1: **_**Credit for Ichigo's wife's name goes to 'NobodyEpic'; she will be called Takara. The credit for the name of the main character, and many OOC's, goes to 'Raevi'. Both of you will get credit in the next chapter. Oh, and the name of Chad's wife is Amira; credit goes to my mother.**_

_**Edit 2: I'm really sorry to everyone who has been waiting on a new chapter, I've been sick, my parents have been sick, I had lots of school work/tests, my dog had cancer, the internet went down, and I've been unmotivated (I've had half of the new chapter sitting on my laptop for weeks and haven't bothered to even look at it, oops). I have slightly modified the story to suit the future story-line better. I hope that clears things up. Oh, the new chapter is up, I hope you all enjoyed the 'preview'. **_≧◡≦


	2. A First Meeting

_**:Black Rose Chapter 2 – "A First Meeting":**_

A lone silhouette is unseen, crouched on the roof of a house at the edge of a large town. The landscape that the town is built on is quite warped and uneven, and the buildings and houses do not look all that relatively old. And yet, there are many people walking about the town, unaware that they are being watched.

Then, movement, as the sun finishes its decent towards the horizon. Whoever or whatever was there is now gone, reappearing at the base of the house. It is seemingly startled when a ghost floats by but smiles from deep under a dark-coloured cloak that covers their features easily. The ghost startles when it realises it is noticed and starts back the other way, leaving whatever is under the large cloak to chuckle as it runs with impressive speed to where, as luck would have it, the Urahara shop is now located; leaving behind only the solemn words behind of: "It is time."

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

"Paah!" Inoue Ishida breathed out quickly in relief as she finished the decorations on a blue and white cake. Inoue normally would be encouraged to stay away from the kitchen by her husband and three children but an exception was made when she got around to baking cakes. While she seemed unable to create any vaguely edible food normally, her abilities excelled in this area. She had tried baking other things but they never seemed to work out. She still remembered how long it took Uryuu to get out of his own hospital after eating her chili, fish and marshmallow cookies. She couldn't understand why it affected him so (she had enjoyed quite a few without even so much as a stomach-ache) but her children now made sure she stayed as far away from the kitchen as possible.

She stood back to admire her handy-work and smiled at the delicately written message swirling around the top: Happy Birthday Shinya!

She restrained from placing an icing heart below, knowing her son would quip her about how embarrassing it was, later. So instead, she carefully picked up a previously-created Quincy spirit-bow made from icing and placed it gently below the writing.

"Mum?" Haru, the younger of the two Ishida twins had wandered into the kitchen and looked confusedly at her mother.

Inoue smiled warmly, "What is it Haru, honey? And where's Natsu?"

Haru quickly looked at her feet sheepishly and attempted a nervous smile, "Um, h-he, uh…He's in the tree again."

Inoue mentally faced palmed but sighed out loud, "In the tree, or _inside _the tree?"

Haru again gave her mother the nervous smile, "Inside. Shinya's keeping dad busy but he's panicking and I can't get him out…"

Inoue laughed at the image of Shinya trying to keep his father from the window or backdoor. The poor child was a wonder in all his classes, a straight-A student, but he was a horrible liar and it wouldn't be long before Uryuu noticed something was up and came to see.

She nodded her head at her daughter who immediately brightened and ran for the backyard. Inoue followed and laughed again as she saw her son's small head poking out from the top of the trunk.

"Mum! Help!" Inoue smothered another giggle as her son attempted to move but couldn't.

"Natsu, darling, you really need to stop using your powers like this. Your father won't be happy when he finds out." Natsu's face blanched and he struggled all the more to remove himself from the middle of the tree.

"I was just trying to teleport to the backyard," he sighed, "Every time I think of the backyard, though, I think of this stupid tree!" He banged a fist against the inside of the, thankfully hollow, tree. She smiled at him but all three stopped and listened when a loud noise came from the house.

Shinya's panicked voice was carried towards them on the quiet breeze, "F-father, please. I really do need help, I'm doing extra credit for my history class and I don't get it. Please?"

The three in the backyard laughed out loud, despite their situation, at the thought of Shinya needing help with his homework but sobered at the next voice, "Shinya, what are you hiding? You may be smart, but you're not smart enough to fool me. Where are your mother and the twins?"

Inoue considered and quickly made a decision, "Haru, come here. I'll lift you up; put your hand on your brother's head." Haru gave her mother a confused look but obeyed as she was lifted. Her hand rested on her brother's head, his shoulders out of sight in the tree's trunk.

"Now what, mum? We have to hurry, Dad's coming!"

She and Natsu started to panic but Inoue kept her face calm, "Now, concentrate. Think of the kitchen; focus on the area between the two counters, where you found me before. And for goodness sake, don't think of the counters themselves, I don't know how we'll explain _that _to Uryū!" Haru closed her eyes and suddenly there was tugging feeling before they found themselves in the right place just as Uryū was heading down the stairs.

Inoue's eyes widened, "Quickly, the lounge, get to the lounge!" The children ran for their lives and threw themselves on the couch, trying to slow their hard breathing as Inoue calmed herself and met her husband at the bottom of the stairs; Shinya not far behind with a paper in his hand.

Uryū looked to her and asked, "Shinya asked me for help with his homework, what's next? You asking to go to Hueco Mundo?"

Inoue shook her head and whispered to him, though just loud enough for her son to hear, "Dear, he probably wants attention. Maybe you should take him up on that offer and look through it with him. He might not need help, but you could always spend some time going through it and discussing it together." Shinya gave her a relieved and thankful smile, happy for the excuse to spend some time with his father. He was his father's son, for sure, and looked up to him indefinitely.

Uryū smiled and kissed her cheek, "Alright, Shinya, why don't you bring it into the lounge? We can sit in there." Shinya did a normally-uncharacteristic 'happy dance' and raced upstairs to get the rest of the work he had. Inoue laughed and Uryū continued into the room to find two hot and flustered children.

"Oh? And I suppose you two want me to teach you how to play baseball?" he jabbed his finger at the children and they had the grace to look embarrassed and stayed quiet. They were as good at baseball as Shinya was at school, and their father knew it.

Uryū smiled cheekily and looked pointedly at his son, "Or maybe you want me to beat up a certain tree, for you?" Four jaws dropped to the floor, Shinya's included as he entered the room.

"How-how did you…" Shinya was the only one currently capable of speech.

"Ha, you were concentrating so much on stopping me from going out the door, you forgot that the window in that room looks directly out to the backyard." Inoue laughed as the two twins gave their older brother poison looks, promising revenge. Needless to say, the teen was a little frightened and turned green at the thought of what lengths the regular trouble-makers might go to, just for payback.

"Now, now, aren't you all forgetting something?" Uryū glanced at his wife, his eyebrows knotted closely together in questioning and the other three did the same.

Natsu was the first to respond, "But mum, we don't have to leave for school for another twenty minutes."

Haru quickly followed on, "Yeah, and we're already ready." Uryū grew wary as Inoue raised an eyebrow, accusingly, at him and looked towards their oldest child.

"What?" Shinya glanced between his parents and then to his younger siblings who both shrugged at him.

The older woman sighed and gritted out one word in warning, "Uryū…" He quickly held his hands up in surrender, once again smiling cheekily. The children were confused; normally he wouldn't be so cheerful. Sure, he would smile and laugh normally, but he mainly limited those reactions. He was acting positively giddy compared to normal.

They had been wondering all morning why he was acting so different when he suddenly revealed the answer and pulled a package from behind his back and handed it to his oldest; throwing his hands in the air and declaring, "Happy Birthday, my boy!" Shinya's face lit up as he remembered what day it was and he hugged his father tight, thanking him all the while.

Uryū looked his beloved son straight in the eye and said, "Open it." Inoue didn't know which one of them was more excited but she laughed at Shinya's reaction when the finely-wrapped gift revealed a plain cardboard box. Inside was another and then another, each one smaller each time. And, as each new smaller box appeared, Shinya's annoyance grew. Then, finally, he reached a box that didn't have another box in it. It had…a small envelope? Shinya looked up at his parent's, his bewildered expression giving the clear message of: 'What the hell?'

Inoue nodded towards it, "Go on." Shinya slowly opened it and gasped. By this time Haru and Natsu were on the edge of their seats and couldn't bare the suspense.

"What is it?" they both chorused. Shinya wordlessly lifted a small pendant, with a cross-like Quincy symbol, and the other two mirrored their older sibling's expression.

Uryū looked like he was going to burst from pride, "It's basically the graduation symbol for a Quincy. You have a talent for the bow; you learn quickly; your reactions are magnificent; and, well, you've learnt all that I can teach you. I now declare you an official Quincy. Congratulations." He ended with a large grin and Shinya found he was light-headed enough that he had to sit down.

"Dad…A-are you sure? I mean…I don't-"

Said father interrupted him, holding up a hand in defiance, "It's yours. Of course, unless you don't want it-"

Now it was Shinya who interrupted, "NO! No, that's okay…"

Everyone laughed and Inoue patted her son on the back, "That's from your father, as your 'master'. You'll get your presents from the rest of us tonight; we'll be celebrating as a family, just us."

Uryū glanced at the watch currently occupying his wrist and smiled grimly, "As a compromise I have to get to work early so I can finish early. It's a special occasion so I'll drive you all to school, go get your things." The children whooped and ran to collect their belongings. Inoue giggled as Uryū pecked her on the cheek before he headed outside with three very eager children following.

She sighed as the car drove off and the house suddenly became too quiet, for her liking. She decided to turn on the stereo and got busy with the house work as well as a few decorations. She wanted the day to be very special for her son, and special it would be.

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

Shinya sighed as he entered the school gate; he could hear a brawl going on in one corner of the large area and deliberately headed the other way, he wanted to avoid fighting for at least today. All the local bullies and gangs liked to pick fights with him and his friend Nemesio. Needless to say, they didn't lose often.

He looked around and spotted a nice-looking tree, shady and comfy. He settled down below the low-hanging branches and pulled out a book to occupy himself with until it was time to go in.

He hadn't gotten very far, barely past the prologue before he spotted someone heading his way.

He grinned and held a hand up in greeting, "Nemesio! Where have you been? Everyone missed you when you weren't here. How long was it: four, five days?" 'Nemesio' also raised a hand in greeting and the sun reflected off of his dark skin as he nodded. He slowly made his way to the tree and sat down on a patch of grass next to it.

Nemesio seemed to notice something and his eyes widened, "That's a Quincy pendant…"

Shinya looked down at his chest where the pendant proudly hung and he grinned, "Dad gave it to me. He said I graduated, Esio, how cool's that? So I'm now a full Quincy, not just one 'in training'." Shinya held his head high as he talked and Esio inwardly smiled, his outer expression remaining as normal.

"You know, Esio, didn't you say that you've almost finished your training? That was about two weeks ago when you said that. So, how's it going?"

Nemesio nodded slowly, "The trip, it was to end my training. Dad took me to Soul Society; we got special permission because of Rukia-san. I graduated yesterday, he gave me this…" He held up the medallion that was normally seen on his father's chest.

"Wow…my dad said that Chad-san's grandfather, his Abuelo, gave it to him. That he'd give it to you…Cool!"

Nemesio gave his friend a half-smile, happy that Shinya hadn't been jealous that he had graduated a day earlier, "Yeah." With that simple word, the conversation ended and they both relaxed: Nemesio on the grass and one of the tree roots, Shinya on the trunk of the tree. Both were quiet as they listened to the breeze and both stayed there in that position until they were forced to leave, heading into the building.

Nemesio noticed something strange but didn't comment as an orange blur raced past him, towards the office. He shrugged and looked over at Shinya who didn't seem to have noticed anything strange, then followed him in, holding proudly onto his father's medallion.

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

Nemesio was only half paying attention in class when it happened. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn or anything silly like that, it was just the fact that he already knew the subject that the teacher seemed to be droning on about. Nemesio wasn't at all stupid, he normally got in the top ten in test results; with Shinya almost always coming in first there wasn't much other competition.

So here he was, not completely listening to what was being said, gazing at the door when, suddenly, it flew open. It made a harsh sound as it contacted with the wall and there was a surprised sound from the teacher. A large man, but not as large as Nemesio, walked in and most recognised him as being one of the assistants in the office. Behind him followed a peculiar sight that had all boys in the room gasping.

Startling orange hair, bright as the sun; brown eyes, the delicious mix of caramel and chocolate; a tall and slender frame and long legs, shown well in the long skirt she was wearing even though it went down to below her knees. As the boys looked over the newest attraction, they noticed her chest, barely there. In fact, it was hardly there at all, being very small for a woman. Some wondered…but were soon slapped by any girls sitting nearby as their faces became red. The girl, despite her small chest, was no doubt going to become the new female school idol. She cleared her throat and even that sounded almost musical but when her scowl reached them all looked away in embarrassment.

The girl stepped forward and said without any hint of an accent, "The name's Banner Akito. I'm a new student from Australia. And if you boys keep staring, I'll gladly take to the sledge-hammer I spotted in the hallway." Nemesio glanced at Shinya who chuckled quietly and returned the gaze. The man that had escorted her in glanced at the teacher who nodded to the door. The man huffed and made his way out, glad that was over. He hadn't been with the kid long and he had already decided he didn't like her attitude.

The teacher smiled at her, "Welcome Bana-san. My name is Miss Sawada. If you'll make your way over to the desk at the back…" the teacher stopped, realising that the young woman was already seated at the desk, which just happened to be between the only two boys who hadn't been treating her as eye-candy.

Shinya reacted first, "Hey. I'm Ishida Shinya. So, 'Akito', nice name. Look, Bana-san I just wanted to apologise for their behaviour," he gestured to the boys that were now all the more obvious as they had to turn back to look at her, "and to let you know that not all of the boys are complete letches."

She turned towards him and seemed to consider his words, then held out a hand, "Call me Akito, 'Banner' is from my mother's family and personally, I hate the name. As for them, well, you can't help it if they're jerks, can you." He shook her hand and gave off an odd look but smiled again after a few seconds.

She then turned to Nemesio, "and what's your name, big guy? By the way you guys kept looking back and forth between each other I'm guessing your pals?"

Nemesio shrugged off the second-half of the message while answering the first with a simple, "Yasutora Nemesio." He held out his hand and she shook it in a firm grip. Nemesio's eyebrows went up as he felt calluses on the thin yet strong and manly hand. Calluses from holding a sword…this could be interesting.

He knew Shinya had also noticed when the supposed 'genius' said bluntly, "So, Akito-san, you fight with swords often?"

She stopped and seemed startled, an unreadable expression on her face, before Nemesio explained, "Your hands."

It was short but it did the trick and she actually gave a small smile, "Well, that's the last time I shake a stranger's hand. But, yeah, I was taught by my…a family friend."

Nemesio didn't fail to notice the falter and from Shinya's face, he didn't either but both kept quiet as they let her continue, "I've been training since I was six. Only ever used a Japanese sword, though."

Shinya went to say something else but was interrupted by a boy from in front of them, "Hi, Akito-chan, I'm Hayashi Sai" He looked expectantly at her but cleared his throat nervously when a scowl was directed his way, "So, you say you're from Australia? What's it like there?"

She gave him a look that more-or-less gave the message of 'Are you stupid?' but answered anyway, "Hot. It's very hot. In fact, having grown up there all my life, I think this place is freezing. The idea that I have to wear a skirt while nearly freezing to death really gets to me."

The boy gave her a dazzling smile and said, "Well, I can think of a few ways to warm up."

Shinya blanched, _This kid just doesn't get it. Oh well, at least we'll get to see if she'll carry out that threat._

Akito gritted her teeth as soon as the words were said and looked at him slowly, "Could you have any lamer pick-up lines? Oh, and if we weren't in class, your face would already be in the dirt for that. So I suggest you run _very fast_ out of here when class is over." The boy finally seemed to get the idea and turned back towards the front.

Both Nemesio and Shinya were looking at her nervously and she rolled her eyes at them, "I'm not a complete push-over. Besides…I'm taken." At this comment, every head turned and there came a sad sigh from the majority of the boys (and even one or two of the girls); as well as a few cheers from other jealous girls.

The boy sitting in front of Shinya grinned at her, "And what young man would be so lucky enough as to receive the heart of such a beauty?"

Shinya jabbed him, "Oh, be quiet, Ryu," Akito tilted her head, questioning, and Shinya elaborated, "This is Mizushima Ryu, King of perverts, but only from afar. He's probably the only one in the whole class who has enough self-control to be so and still be chivalrous. Anyway, besides that, he's not too bad and he's one of our idiot friends. Right, Nemesio?"

The young man simply grunted, and the girl in front of him turned, "Yeah, Akito-san. Don't worry about him. He just observes and never actually acts on it, so you're safe. Oh, I'm Himura Riza. Everyone just calls me Ri."

Akito considered this and gave her a small smile, "Thanks…Ri-san."

The companions went to continue their conversation but were interrupted by the teacher, who requested that they continue the lesson, "Ishida-san, if you could help our new student if she needs any trouble?" Shinya nodded and Akito looked to front, listening intently as the teacher continued.

**IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!IAMREALLYSPECIALCAUSETHERESO NLYONEOFME!**

The students all filtered out of the gates after school had ended, one particular group of friends sticking around outside. Nemesio snuck a glance at Akito but she caught his stare and her mouth tilted up slightly. Shinya watched this exchange silently and grinned to himself.

Nemesio's eyes flickered from Akito over to Shinya, "I have to go. Dad will be waiting for me."

Shinya scrunched up his face, "Yeah, I have to walk the twin's home. Well, it was nice meeting you, Akito-san. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He raised a hand in farewell and walked off in the same direction as Nemesio.

Akito felt like shivering as she felt Ryu staring at her backside but instead turned and ground out the word, "I will hurt you." He 'meep'ed and quickly rushed off, claiming to have something to take care of. Riza, the only one left with Akito, laughed at his antics and also said a farewell to Akito. Akito was then alone, leaning against the outside wall of the school.

She sighed and ruffled a hand through her hair, "Why am I doing this?" Her expression then hardened, "No, I'm doing this for him. I need help, and this is the only way. Hmm, I wonder if Urahara-san, Ururu and Tessai-san would mind another for dinner…" With this she glanced around and, when she saw nobody, she left. All that was left was a slowly fading after-image and a last sigh.

_**Hey everybody, Zaphira here. You're all probably sick of all my apologies but, nevertheless: *bows* I'm sorry. But guess what? I haven't taken this long to write this chapter, I took this long to write three more chapters. . So I'll edit them and add in little tidbits, then its fine to publish. So, I hope you all enjoyed this. Bye!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, its characters, or anything related to it except for four Bleach necklaces, two Bleach DVD's, a mini Zangetsu key-chain, a substitute-soul-reaper-badge key-chain, and a small model-Zangetsu made of metal. I do, however, own my characters: Riza, Ria, Shinya, Nemesio, Akito, Kaito (You'll meet him later), Natsu, Haru and others to come (including the bad guys).**_

Ichigo: So I've been kidnapped. That's _so _original.

**Zaphira: Oh, be quiet. Sheesh…**

Akito: Who am I, anyway? And what's with the weird ending?

**Zaphira: 'Who am I', huh? Did I create a character with an identity crisis?**

Akito: No, it's just that you won't let anyone see your notes, not even me. So I don't know anything about myself… The only person who has seen the notes and ideas is Raevi-san.

Ichigo: Speaking of Akito; orange hair, brown eyes, scowls a lot…anyone else notice what I'm pointing out here?

**Zaphira: Bad Ichigo! *Hits him on the head* No spoilers.**

Ichigo: ouch…So it _is_ a spoiler.

Akito: That means that what he was getting at was real… *!* Oh, wow. I think I worked it out… If the reader's don't work it out then it's really sad…

**Zaphira: Okay, Okay, settle down. Look, that's just a teaser. Whether people work that out or not doesn't matter because…*poses dramatically* Da, Da, DA! That is just a cover-up for the real twist to the story (Which only Akito, Ichigo, Raevi-chan and I know. Muahahaha). Well, enough annoying and confusing the readers: I'm going to go work on the next chapter… *disappears into thin air.***

Akito and Ichigo: *look at each other* … *both shrug and walk out the door together*

**Edit: I'm really sorry, I just realised that I left out Riza, Ryu and Sai's surnames! Oh good Lord, I'm so stupid. And I'm sorry but I just chucked in names without checking if they worked first. If something is stupid or off with any of them, please tell me so I can fix it. I have no idea, I don' know Japanese! *crying*. If any of you notice any other problems or areas that need editing, please let me know. Thank you all, for your cooperation.**


	3. Hiatus(temporary)

Hello everyone, I would just like to let you know, I am very lazy and I have been very busy lately. I am very sorry but before you chase me with pitchforks and scythe's (because they're awesome), I did warn on my profile that I was going on hiatus. I have not yet been able to resume writing lately but when I do next publish something, I will make sure that the quantity is large enough to satisfy all of you.

Anyways, don't bother reviewing as this message will be deleted and replaced by the chapter, later on.


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